Ginga: The Legend Continues
by Gemini14
Summary: AU. A short while after the war at Futago Pass, two more young dogs begin their journey to Ohu. Where will their path lead them, and how will it change them along the way? What connection could they possibly have to Weed and his father Gin?
1. Crossing Paths

Ginga: The Legend Continues

Chapter One: Crossing Paths

All was peaceful and quiet in the forest; a deceptive façade, for the unaware, and a trap for the unwary. It took no more than an instant for it to be shattered, as something began to awaken, and angry hoots and cries could be heard coming from deeper within it.

"This has to have been the stupidest idea you've ever come up with, Yuki! What the hell possessed you to even dare to do that?!" one voice panted, as he raced through the moonlit copses and glens. He got a glare from the runner beside him in answer to his question.

"It got you outta their clutches, didn't it?!" 'Yuki' growled, as they both took a flying leap over a fallen tree, landed with ease on the other side, and kept on going.

"Yeah, but now we're both gonna get torn to shreds by a bunch of pissed-off monkeys! And you just had to add insult to injury, didn't you?!" the first ranted, breathlessly; anxiously looking over his shoulder when the enraged calls got ever closer.

"Well, they are a bunch of ass-faced cowards, for what they did! I can't help but be truthful about that, Joe!" Yuki gritted, as they continued running from the angered animals behind them; hoping that once they reached open ground, they would be relatively safe.

"You and your 'truthfulness'…..It's gonna get the both of us killed, one of these days!" Joe yelped, just barely dodging in time to avoid having his tail grabbed by one monkey that had caught up with them, and slashing the monkey's hand open with his fangs in that same instant. With a squeal of pain, the monkey leaped back into the foliage again; giving Joe and Yuki a few more seconds of running time. Soon, to their relief, the edge of the forest appeared; opening into a wide open field before them.

"Gangway! Every dog for himself!" Joe howled, as he increased his speed; actually racing past his brother, as he said that.

"Joe, you idiot! Wait for me!!" Yuki shouted, as he followed his brother out into the expanse; listening as the monkeys screeched out their death threats after them.

"If you ever show your faces here again, we'll kill you! Shogun will have no mercy!!" the monkeys howled, furiously.

"Go piss on yourselves." Yuki muttered, when he'd skidded to a halt, and sneered back at them; his blue eyes dancing with glee as he did so; he'd gotten his brother back!

"Don't encourage 'em, bro. It isn't worth it." Joe gasped, as he lay down and tried to catch his breath; thoroughly winded by their mad dash, but glad to be alive, all the same.

"You hurt anywhere, Joe?" Yuki asked, when he'd returned his attention to his younger sibling; his eyes narrowing when he saw some gashes on his brother's back. Joe managed a weak grin in response.

"No moreso than you, bro. Looks like they'd given you some 'going away' presents, as well." Joe replied, as he shakily stood back up (wincing as he did so), and carefully licked the blood out of Yuki's right eye and off of his face, "But you got lucky, this time. They didn't take your eye."

"True enough. But that was a close one." Yuki murmured, as he tiredly lay down; watching when Joe gave him his equivalent of an arched eyebrow, before laying back down next to him.

"And you're only just now admitting it?" Joe mumbled, then gave Yuki a questioning look, "So, what do we do now? We can't stay here any longer."

"You're right about that…..And, so far, we haven't found any signs of Okaa-san or our little brother. I guess the only answer is to head north…..To Ohu." Yuki sighed.

"Ohu…..Otou-san's Utopia…..Do you think we'll be able to reach it?" Joe asked, as an almost longing look appeared on his face at the thought.

"We won't know until we try." Yuki replied, even though he could almost tell that a long, hard road was ahead of them…..and he could only hope that they both had the strength to answer the challenges that would soon come their way…..

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

The morning following Yuki's daring raid of the monkey troop brought a thick fog to the valley they had retreated into; something that brought some cover from the vengeful animals to the young Akita Inu.

"They won't venture too far from their roosts until the sun burns the mists off….By then, we'll be long gone from here." Yuki murmured, as he and Joe crept silently away from the forest's edge.

"Hope you're right about that, bro, since I, for one, have had enough encounters with apes for one lifetime." Joe grumbled, in agreement; smiling slightly when they finally reached what appeared to be a road, crossed it, and began to quicken their pace once they had it between them and the woods. Soon, they had put the woods and its' hidden danger far behind them; instinct guiding them to the north, where their homeland waited. Yet it seemed that fate had more in store for the brothers, as they soon found themselves traveling around the perimeter of a human town. Yuki wrinkled his nose in disgust, as the smell of rotting garbage came to his nose.

"_The sooner we're outta here, the better. I don't like the feel of this place at all._" Yuki inwardly growled, as they cautiously made their way through a fairly busy intersection, and then past several old houses that appeared to be abandoned.

"E-excuse me….." a soft voice called, from somewhere to their right; making at least Joe pause and look in the direction it had come from.

"Hello? Who's here?" Joe asked, in return; glancing around in confusion, since he hadn't seen or heard anyone approach them.

"O-over here…..H-hurry…..Can't g-get out…." The voice again whimpered; the fearful and pained note in it now getting Yuki's attention as well.

"What happened? Why do you sound so afraid?" Yuki asked, as he tried to figure out just where the speaker now was. All he got in response to that were some muffled sobs….and something about them made the hackles on both brothers' necks rise.

"Hang on, we're coming." Joe whispered, then began hurrying to where the crying sounds were the loudest. Within moments, they found themselves standing in front of an old pet carrier; the front of it had been blocked off with broken boards from an old fence, and tied in place somewhat haphazardly with some sort of twine.

"_Whatever has been happening here, someone wants to make sure it doesn't get out._" Yuki mused, with a growl, as he got started on chewing the twine off; determined to set the prisoner free, despite his foreboding. He barely reacted in time, when something charged into sight, and when Joe distracted it with a strong head-butt to the side.

"Well, well. What have we here? Two more who have an interest in the bitch?" the dog before them asked, when he'd recovered from Joe's surprise tackle, and sneered at the pair to get back some of his own. He appeared to be a huge black Malamute that had cruel blue eyes; eyes that made a shudder travel down Joe's spine, just from looking at them.

"Who're you?" Yuki asked, his reddish-brown fur nearly standing on end, as he faced the other canine with his fangs bared. The huge brute in front of him merely smirked; an action that made his ice-blue eyes seem even more frigid than before.

"Fuketsu is my name, runt. Who are you?" the larger canine asked, almost conversationally, even though his tone was more than just a little threatening.

"Yukimura, eldest son of Gin, the Taichou of Ohu, and this is my brother, Joe." Yuki replied, boldly, then added, "Your name suits you well, since you're the kind of pervert that would trap a female and keep her here against her will."

"The bitch is my mate, runt. This is no business of yours' or Ohu's." the Malamute growled, starting to become angry, when Yuki stepped in between him and Joe, and gave Joe the unseen signal to continue gnawing on the cord that was wrapped around the crate.

"You're wrong about that. It became our business the moment she called out to us the first time." Yukimura growled; his eyes narrowing as he watched the larger dog closely, fiercely determined to protect his brother and the dog they were trying to free at all costs.

"Get away from that!!" Fuketsu then suddenly roared, as he then lunged at Joe, only to be stopped by a full-force charge from Yukimura, and then the feel of Yukimura's teeth biting into the fur and flesh of his neck. From that point on, a vicious battle was joined between the brute and the half-grown Akita; one that Joe did his best to tune out, as he worked on the rope binding the wooden slats in place.

"Oh kami! Please tell me he isn't fighting him! Fuketsu is the toughest dog in town!" the female inside the crate yelped, in alarm and fear for Yukimura's life, when she'd heard the sounds of fighting. At this, Joe only smiled grimly in her direction.

"You don't know my brother. Even if his enemy is a hundred times bigger than he is, he'll still fight, no matter what. It's just the way he is." Joe said, in an effort to reassure the frightened female, before he returned his full attention to the twine; grinning when it finally snapped, and the boards blocking the entrance of the crate fell away….only to reveal a sight that horrified and angered him, at the same time. The female appeared to be an Akita, who was maybe a year or two older than he and his brother….but it was the state she was in, that brought a snarl to his throat. Even though she appeared to be in good health, her belly was heavy with young; a sure sign that yes, Fuketsu lived up to his name.

"Joe! Get her outta here! I'll hold this bastard off!" Yukimura shouted, his words proving that he had also seen the state the female Akita was in, and that it had angered him, as well.

"You sure you can handle 'im alone, bro?" Joe asked, knowing that any moment of distraction could bring death to his brother and himself, at this point.

"Just go! I'll catch up, don't worry about me! If our father could handle a demon bear, then this should be a cinch! Trust me!" Yukimura replied, confidently, much to Fuketsu's fury.

"All right. I'll trust you on this one! See ya later!" Joe replied, before turning to the female and looking at her. He could see clearly the fear in her eyes, as well as her shame and the loathing she had for the sire of the pups she now carried….yet there was also some gratitude for his and Yukimura's intervention and rescue, as well.

"Can you run?" Joe asked, startling her back into awareness, and getting a shaky nod from her in response.

"H-hai. I think so." The female answered, uncertainly.

"Then let's go. We've gotta get as far away from this hellhole as we can. C'mon, I'll help you." Joe said, as he gently nudged her in the direction he wanted to go in, and they both started running, "By the way, in case you didn't hear it, my name's Joe! What's your name?"

"Nadeshiko…..at least….that's the name my former master had given me….before I became a stray…." The female panted, as she put all of her strength into the escape from the alley.

"Nadeshiko, huh? Then it's good to meet you, Nadeshiko-san!" Joe said, with an easygoing grin.

"Good….to meet you….too, Joe-san." Nadeshiko answered, as they both ran as fast as their legs could carry them towards the far edge of town.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Meanwhile, the battle against Fuketsu was seeming to go in Yukimura's favor; even though the Malamute outweighed him, and had more experience than he did, Yukimura could tell that the brute's rage was getting the better of him.

"_He's probably never had an opponent last as long as I have, so far_….._He's getting pissed off at the fact that he can't get his teeth into me! All the proof I need to know that he's nothing more than a perverted bully!_" Yukimura thought; grinning when he again dodged the larger dog's fangs, then lashed out with his own. His lunge caught Fuketsu across the face; leaving a gash on the left side of it, and putting out the eye in the process. And it was when Fuketsu threw him self back with a squeal of agony, that Yukimura made another move that was more for vengeance than for self-preservation….unwittingly echoing another warrior's actions while doing so, and getting another horrific scream from the Malamute in answer to it.

"Consider this your punishment, yarou. Never again will you be able to rape another female, and force her to raise your pups. As I'd said before, when she spoke to us, it not only became our responsibility, but it was also Ohu's duty to free her." Yukimura snarled, as he spat the blood from his mouth in disgust, and glared at the writhing Malamute with blazing sapphire eyes.

"So help me…..you little bastard….I will see to it that you pay for this! Nowhere in Japan will be safe for you, while I yet live!" Fuketsu hissed, as he eyed the young Akita with true hatred in his eyes. At this threat, Yukimura only smirked.

"Bring it on, then, but you'd better improve your fighting skills before doing so." Yukimura answered, before loping off after his brother and Nadeshiko; ever aware of the hate-filled eyes on his back as he did so.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Joe allowed himself a relieved grin, when Yukimura finally caught up with him and Nadeshiko; seeing the satisfied glint in his brother's eyes, as he trotted up.

"Were you able to knock the shit out of him, bro?" Joe asked, when he was close enough to hear him.

"Well, it wasn't a conclusive end to it, but he'll never sire another pup for as long as he lives. I made sure of that." Yukimura replied; grinning inwardly when Nadeshiko gasped, and Joe shuddered at the thought.

"You've made yourself more enemies that way, bro." Joe muttered, even as he gave his elder brother a rueful look.

"Yeah, I know…..But we wouldn't be worthy of the blood flowing through our veins if we didn't take down yarou like that." Yukimura growled, as they started walking to the north again.

"So you two really are the sons of Gin?" Nadeshiko questioned; her soft voice a vast contrast to the two brothers' louder ones. Joe nodded.

"Yep. Sons of the great 'Bear Terror' himself." Joe answered, with an easygoing smile; his manner taking her completely by surprise, and what he said next shocking her, to no end, "If you want, Nadeshiko-san, you're more than welcome to travel along with us to Ohu."

"Th-that's…..where you both are heading? To the north? Futago Pass?" Nadeshiko asked, as some fear and healthy respect for their father's reputation entered her voice. Both young dogs nodded in response.

"Hai. But we're going have to step up our pace, if we're going get there before those pups of yours' are born." Yukimura said, as his expression sobered; eying Nadeshiko's already heavily-burdened belly, and wondering just how much longer she had till that time came.

"_And how much heavier a burden will she be carrying, when we get there?_" Yukimura wondered, as he watched her eyes cloud over with shame again, and she lowered her gaze from his.

"I won't be a burden on either of you, I promise. If I do become one, then don't hesitate to abandon me." Nadeshiko softly said, her words getting aghast reactions from the two young males in front of her.

"No way! We won't do that! So put that out of your mind, Nadeshiko-san! We rescued you because we wanted to, and we'll do all we can to make sure you make it to Ohu, that's a promise!" Joe stated, stubbornly, then added, "Even if we've gotta find a sled or wagon to pull you on, we'll get you there!"

"What he said." Yukimura agreed, when Nadeshiko had glanced at him questioningly, as well.

"Th-thank you." Nadeshiko whispered; sniffling a little bit when she finally realized just what sorts of dogs she was going to be traveling with, from now on.

"It's no problem, Nadeshiko-san. No problem at all." Yukimura said, as they started trotting down the path heading north again; leaving the town behind them…..but not realizing that its' dangers were watching them very closely as they went.

"_Those two bastards will pay for doing what they did to Fuketsu_….._so help me, they will! Even if we have to raise an army of our own, as Hougen had, we will do it! No one castrates __my__ brother and gets away with it! __No __one__!_" the revenge-filled owner of those thoughts silently vowed, as he watched the trio move out of sight down the road, then turned and rushed back into town; intent on what he had set in his mind to do, to make both of Gin's sons pay dearly for their beliefs. Even if it killed him.

_**Author's Note!**_

_**Not really sure if this sort of story has been attempted yet, but I thought I'd give it a whirl! I haven't really seen too many stories based on Ginga Legend here, and especially none that focus on Weed's manga-only brothers, Yukimura and Joe. Hopefully I'll be able to manage a few more surprises, in the meantime! **_

_**Name meanings:**_

_**Fuketsu: unclean, dirty, filthy, impure**_

_**Nadeshiko: A flower (can't remember what kind, though. That'll have to wait till the next Author's Note!)**_

_**That's it for now! Hope this was an all-right beginning, in the meantime!**_

_**Gemini14**_


	2. Rambling On

Chapter Two: Rambling On

Nadeshiko could only watch, as the two brothers did what they could to provide for her. It was the start of her third day of traveling with them, and they had stopped beside a stream for a drink and an attempt to catch them some breakfast before moving on…..The key word being 'attempt', at this point.

"Dammit! How the hell do cats do this and make it look so easy in the meantime?!" Yukimura growled, irritably, as he shook the water from his fur, and glared down at the swiftly-moving fish that were slipping between his and his brother's paws.

"It's 'cause of their retractable claws, bro. That's why." Joe muttered; sneezing when he got some water up his nose after another botched attempt to catch a fish.

"And how would you know something like that? I've never actually seen you chase one!" Yukimura retorted, challengingly. He got what would have been an arched eyebrow from Joe, had he been human, and then a longsuffering grin.

"I was trying to get you to stop chasing that one that time, remember?" Joe reminded; his words hitting the right mark in his stubborn brother, when he saw Yukimura freeze, and then sheepishly lower his head and mutter 'Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that' under his breath. They both looked aside when they heard some soft laughter from Nadeshiko, and inwardly shared a smile between them, at it; at least she wasn't as depressed as she had been before.

"So your brother is a cat-chaser, Joe-san?" Nadeshiko asked; getting yet another grin from Joe, and an exasperated look from Yukimura, in response.

"You have no idea, Nadeshiko-san! In fact, Yuki will chase anything that moves, be it a cat, a car, or even his own brothers!" Joe laughed, before jumping away from Yukimura, when the older Akita snapped irritably at him.

"You didn't have to tell her that!!" Yukimura growled, as he began chasing Joe around and around in a circle.

"See what I mean!" Joe shouted, much to Nadeshiko's amusement, before taking off on a merry chase through the untamed countryside. At this point in their just-beginning journey, they were again between towns….the main reason for their slow pace, being Nadeshiko herself.

"_But she's not showin' any signs at all of giving birth any time soon_….._Do we have enough time to reach Ohu before it does happen? And if so, how many is she carrying?_" Joe wondered, in the back of his mind; doing his best to hide his worry from the both of them, for the time being, yet knowing for a fact that it couldn't be put aside forever.

"Hey! You three! How's the fishing down there?" a male voice asked, as its' owner appeared at the top of the hill behind Nadeshiko.

"It's great! Even though….we haven't been having such great luck in catching anything, so far." Joe replied, skidding to a halt just long enough to speak to the newcomer, and as Yukimura and Nadeshiko both turned to look at him, as well. The fellow in question appeared to be a Saluki, but he was much bigger than a purebred would have been.

"_Must be a mix with something else, then._" Yukimura mused, as he watched the other dog descend, and then get a long drink from the stream.

"By the way, the name's Yukimura, and this is my brother Joe, and our friend Nadeshiko-san. What name do you go by?" Yukimura asked, when he'd gotten close enough to speak to the stranger.

"I'm called George. Pleased to meet you, kid." The Saluki-mix replied, amiably.

"Good to meet you too, George-san." Nadeshiko murmured, almost shyly.

"So, what brings you three all the way out here?" George asked, as he looked a little concernedly at Nadeshiko as he spoke.

"We're headin' to Ohu, sir; trying to see if we can get there before her pups are born." Joe said; saying nothing of the trouble that they had run into, nor the horrible circumstances Nadeshiko had been faced with, before.

"Damn….That's one hell of a task you've taken upon yourselves." George muttered, then gave the trio an unreadable look, "You're running from the father of those pups, aren't you?" At this, he got some startled looks from both Joe and Yukimura, and watched as Nadeshiko's eyes seemed to fill with shame.

"_Thought so._" George inwardly sighed.

"How could you tell?" Yukimura then asked, sounding as though he were preparing for another fight, yet seeming to calm when the older dog shook his head.

"She's almost too far along to be traveling…..The trek to the northern mountains is pretty grueling, even for a dog in the best shape." George stated, quietly; voicing the concerns Joe had had, himself, just moments before.

"So what should we do? We can't just stop here!" Joe yelped, and as Nadeshiko began to whimper at the thought of Fuketsu catching up with them, in the meantime.

"I'm not saying that you should, kid." George replied; inwardly sighing at how quick the pair was to leap to Nadeshiko's defense, and, at the same time, ruefully comparing them to the description he'd heard of another Akita, long ago…..

"Then what should we do, then?" Yukimura questioned, surprisingly calmly, despite the implications of this.

"Allow me to travel along with you. If anything, you'll have another set of fangs to help keep her safe, and another pair of eyes to watch your backs, if need be." George offered; inwardly smiling when the trio gave him looks of honest surprise at this sudden strange twist.

"Y-you…..want to help me? Why?" Nadeshiko finally asked; getting a warm smile from the Saluki-mix that eased the remaining uneasiness in them.

"I'm honor-bound to do that much, seeing as I am from Ohu." George replied, his words getting even more shocked reactions from the trio, as a response.

"Then I think we'll take you up on your offer." Yukimura said; somehow sensing that George's presence at their side would help them, in the long run.

"_I just hope Nadeshiko can hold on long enough to reach Ohu_…._As it is, she could be carrying a large litter_….._and she's going to need all the help she can get, in order to care for it._" George mused, worriedly, as they began moving on; noticing the evident discomfort on Nadeshiko's face, as she walked, yet seeming impressed by the fact that she wasn't complaining.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

It was around dusk the next day, when the quartet reached the next town. Even though they were all tired and footsore, they knew they couldn't stop to rest just yet. All around them, they could feel the eyes of the neighborhood dogs watching them; not liking the fact that they were in their territory, yet waiting to see what they had come to their town for, in the first place.

"Holding up all right, Nadeshiko-san?" Joe asked, as they cautiously moved through the alleyways.

"Hai….just a little winded….but otherwise fine….Joe-san." Nadeshiko replied; panting as she spoke.

"Then we'll take a short breather here." George murmured, as he motioned for them to sit down and catch their breaths….but giving Yukimura and Joe a look that meant they couldn't let their guard down yet. As they watched Nadeshiko sit down and struggle to breathe despite the burden she carried, Yukimura could feel it when doubt began to claw at him. Even though he wasn't a very old dog, and he didn't have a mate of his own yet, he could sense that time wasn't on their side. With every day that passed, traveling became ever more uncomfortable for the female Akita….and he knew that soon, it would become unbearable.

"_Can she make it? We still have a long way to go, but she's lookin' more and more like she's about to give birth. What should we do? We can't just leave her, and yet we can't just stop here, either!_" Yukimura mused, and again inwardly cursed Fuketsu's name.

"She's lookin' a little on the rough side." A stranger's voice muttered, as it's owner emerged from one of the yards nearby, and concernedly approached them; taking in Nadeshiko's scent, as he did so.

"What business is it to you?" Yukimura asked, with a slight growl; his tone warning the other dog that he wasn't going to let harm come to any of his companions.

"None of mine, kiddo. Just bein' a concerned neighbor, is all." The stranger, who appeared to be a wire-haired dachshund, replied; trying to avoid a fight, at all costs.

"Calm down, Yuki." Joe said, then returned his attention to the smaller dog in front of him, "Gomen for my brother's rough tone, then. We're travelers, looking for a place to bed down for the night. Know of any good spots where we can do so?"

"Sure! I wouldn't be worth my whiskers, if I didn't know this town from top to bottom! Follow me!" the dachshund replied, amiably, then started leading them away from the alley, and towards another of the nearby yards.

"Thanks for your help, then." George said, as he helped Nadeshiko stand again, and they all followed the smaller dog's lead. Soon enough, they found themselves in an abandoned, run-down house.

"It's a lil' beat up, but at least it's dry on the inside." The dachshund stated, then added, "By th' way, friends call me 'Willie'. What're your names?"

"I'm Yukimura, and this is my brother Joe, and our friends George and Nadeshiko. Good to meet you, Willie." Yukimura answered; now feeling just a little bit more at ease, now that they were under some form of cover again.

"Good t'meet you too! Now, just wait a bit, and I'll go and get ya somethin' to eat. Be right back!" Willie said, before disappearing through one of the broken-out windows, on his self-imposed errand.

"C-can we…..trust him….George-san?" Nadeshiko asked, once she had sat down again; seeming a little uneasy with how easy it had been to befriend one of the local dogs, despite the gazes they had all felt upon them earlier.

"We've got no choice in the matter, Nadeshiko-san." George replied, as he watched both young Akita have a seat beside her; trying their best to reassure her, with those actions alone, "We're in another pack's territory, and, if I'm right, their Taichou will soon know that we're here, and want to see us for himself."

"Are we gonna have to fight our way out of this?" Yukimura asked, tensely; his eyes narrowing as he spoke.

"Hopefully not. As it is, the worst fights could still be ahead of us…..I'd rather try to talk our way out of this, in order to preserve our strength." George murmured, as the scent of a good number of dogs came to his nose….and as one scent in particular seemed just vaguely familiar….

"So, you're the ones Willie has just told us about…..It certainly looks as though you're fighting against time." A calm, yet almost regal-sounding voice stated, as it's owner entered the abandoned house. In the waning light of the evening sun, the Taichou's pure white fur seemed tinged with blood, yet his eyes showed a wisdom and strength that had been hard-won.

"We are." George agreed, then rose, stepped forward, and bowed politely to the pack's leader, "I'm George, of Ohu, son of the warriors Ben and Cross. These two young warriors behind me are Yukimura and his brother Joe, and their friend Nadeshiko."

"Good to meet you, then. I am known as Giyan, in these parts." The white-furred Taichou replied, courteously; his unshaken calm helping the trio behind George to relax a little bit, and see that the worst was not about to come to pass.

"Taichou-sama, if I may ask, why were there so many watching us earlier? We could feel their eyes watching us from just about all over the place!" Joe said, out of turn. At this, some of the dogs behind and beside Giyan started growling and grumbling complaints about the younger dog's audacity, yet those quickly stilled, when a grave look appeared on their Taichou's face.

"Until just recently, there had been a rival Taichou in this region…..He's been trying to get control for some time now…..Then, a few days back, word reached us that he had disappeared; taking some of his best warriors with him. We don't know where he's gone….but it's enough to make us nervous." One dog, this one appearing to be a collie/German Shepherd mix, said; her worry and fear over this development reflected very easily in her expressive brown eyes.

"So you've been watching every stranger entering the town carefully, to make sure they aren't a part of this tyrant's group, or to see if they have any information about him and his group's movements, right?" George questioned, as the gravity of the situation began to become clear to him.

"Hai…..Though, judging from your reactions, you know nothing…..and this was the first you have heard of this." Another of Giyan's followers replied.

"I see…." George murmured, then glanced at the brothers.

"_Could that yarou we'd faced in that first town be behind this? Or is this just a coincidence?_" both brothers wondered; listening as Willie returned with the promised food, and as the dogs before them parted so he could get through with it.

"Bara." Giyan called, and as a red-furred Siberian Husky stepped forward.

"Yessir?" the one called 'Bara' replied.

"See if you can find some extra blankets for Nadeshiko. Help make her as comfortable as possible." Giyan commanded; surprising the four travelers with his concern for Nadeshiko.

"Hai, Taichou." Bara said, before turning and hurrying out on her appointed task.

"Why…..?" Nadeshiko softly asked, almost seeming too stunned to speak.

"Why not? I may be the son of a bear-hound, but that doesn't mean I am without a heart." Giyan replied, kindly, as he took a seat about three feet away from the quartet, and as most of his followers also started sitting or lying down nearby.

"Wait….You're related to a bear-hound too?" Yukimura questioned; seemingly surprised by this fact, more than anything else.

"Yes. My father had been one of the strongest bear-hounds in the northern mountains….at least, until he fell in battle against Akakabuto." Giyan said; remembering distinctly what his mother had told him of his sire.

"Wow…..so your father had fought at Futago Pass too, huh?" Joe added. Giyan could only sadly shake his head.

"From what I remember, my father had been killed before that battle…..but my brother had been there for the battle you'd mentioned." Giyan murmured, then silently sighed, "_Though I can only wonder if Gin is even still alive, after all this time?_"

"So you're heading north, then?" another of Giyan's followers asked, curiously.

"Hai. We've gotta try and get there before Nadeshiko's pups arrive….and before the yarou that had sired them catches up with us." Yukimura replied; his comment getting an almost alarmed look from George, and various different reactions from Giyan and his pack. From some, there was some shock, while others started growling death threats against the monster that had raped Nadeshiko. From Giyan, however, his silence spoke louder than words….and the look in his eyes promised retribution, as well.

"What's the verdict, then, Boss?" a rust-colored Irish Wolfhound questioned, somehow sensing that the leader of their pack was coming to a very quick decision.

"We leave for Ohu in the morning. Toge, be sure to tell those on patrol of this, and that they must return here at once." Giyan commanded; getting almost a comical salute from the Wolfhound in response, before he too disappeared into the alleyway beyond.

"You….believe us, then?" Joe asked, hardly believing what was happening right in front of him; almost overnight, he and Yukimura had an army behind them! Giyan nodded.

"I have heard some humans say that there is no such thing as coincidence…..and your arrival here, this evening, wasn't an accident." Giyan said, then silently added, "_And I feel compelled to aid you in any way I can_…._Though, at this point, I can only wonder why_…."

"You think that yarou is behind the disappearance of your rival too, don't you?" Yukimura questioned, and only got a look from the Taichou that answered his question, effectively.

"_Then it's a good thing we had run into this pack when we did_…._From the sounds of things, we might soon need all the help we can get!_" George mused, as thoughts of his own family came to mind….Were they all right? And could they still fight, if it all came down to it?

_**Author's Note!**_

_**Yeah, this one was kind of a dull chapter, but I think the action will pick up in the next one! So please, bear with me!**_

_**Name Translations:**_

_**Nadeshiko: A fringed, pink flower**_

_**Bara: Rose**_

_**Toge: Thorn**_


End file.
